Los Angeles Angels’ pitcher Shohei Ohtani hit 2 homers on Wednesday to help his team beat the Texas Rangers 9-3. This was in spite of the Japanese learning he would need a Tommy John surgery that could derail his career by one year on the same day.
In a game with little impact to LA, Ohtani hit his second home, helping his team extend its lead in the Western conference league. In the same day, the Angeles announced that the 24-year old pitcher had suffered an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament and needed a Tommy John surgery.
The surgery is optional for Ohtani, but heading to the surgeon room means he could be out for the next season completely. Speaking to reporters before Wednesday’s games, the team’s head coach Billy Eppler termed the news “disappointing.”
Asked if Ohtani would continue playing after Wednesday, Eppler replied,
“We’ll see. That’s going to be determined from our medical department.”
Although the Japanese declined to speak to reporters, he is expected to speak to the team about the next course of action early next week. In spite of the injury, Ohtani is a front-runner in the race for the Rookie of the Year Award. His stats; .946 OPS ad 3.31 ERA places him amongst the best baseball rookies in the modern era.
